With apologies to you Joe Walsh fans out there, I can’t complain … but sometimes I still do.
We had another record turnout today for our annual legislative fiesta, CPA Day in Annapolis. MACPA members turned out by the score to meet with their legislators and debate issues that impact CPAs and their clients.
From the standpoint of protecting the profession, it’s our most important event of the year. The more CPAs who invade Annapolis every January, the louder our voices become — and the better our legislators understand the financial impact of the decisions they make during session.
And there’s the good news — more and more members are signing up each year. The Governor Calvert House is positively oozing CPAs each January, and the overflow is flooding State Circle.
But don’t take my word for it. Listen to what Maryland’s new deputy comptroller, David Roose, had to say:
“From that experience alone, it’s clear that CPAs can be very helpful in addressing legislative and policy issues and help us arrive at good outcomes for taxpayers, for the comptroller’s office, and for CPAs themselves,” Roose said. “With the state continuing to struggle to find its budgetary footing, there will certainly be, over the years, plenty of additional tax changes and policy initiatives that need to be addressed. The Comptroller’s Office will always look for simplicity for taxpayers. That’s beneficial for taxpayers, for us, and for tax practitioners as well. To the extent that CPAs can help in that regard, in addition to whatever problems that crop up during the legislative session, we would be very happy to talk to them about how to address those sorts of things.”
That’s why it does my heart good to see more and more members at CPA Day each year.
So if more CPAs at CPA Day is a good thing, why am I disappointed?
Given what’s happening on the legislative front lately, it’s no wonder. When you see Congress play games with the fiscal cliff, the debt ceiling, and sequestration, I almost expected to see 9,000 CPAs in Annapolis today.
One can dream, right?
Keep an eye on our blog for details about what’s happening throughout the legislative session.